Cutting Edge Neuroscience, Cutting Edge Neuroethics

The 2018 Annual Meeting of the International Neuroethics Society will gather a diverse group of scholars, scientists, clinicians, and professionals dedicated to the responsible use of advances in brain science. Join old friends and new colleagues for an intellectually stimulating and dynamic conference that explores technologies challenging and advancing our understanding of the brain.

Schedule is subject to change.

Thursday, November 1

10:00–10:30 AM

Registration / Networking / Coffee

10:30–10:35 AM

Welcome

• Hank Greely, INS President
• Steve Hyman and Ariel Cascio, Program Committee Co-Chairs

Opening LECTURE (10:35–11:00 AM)

Tom Insel

Mindstrong Health

• Digitally Decoding Brain & Behavior – Tom Insel will introduce the ethical issues of digital phenotyping and prior to the opening panel.
• Interview with Tom Insel

Opening PANEL (11:00 AM–12:30 PM)

Digitally Decoding Brain & Behavior

In the past decade, the development of devices that collect information passively has given behavioral scientists a new window into human behavior. Smartphones, assistants (e.g. Google Home and Amazon Echo), wearables and environmental sensors have an unprecedented reach. They are becoming increasingly common and can collect data continually and passively. These devices can have benefits such as offering digital phenotyping for early signals of depression, psychosis, or seizures. However, the power of this approach has also raised questions about transparency, agency, and responsible use. This panel will explore the potential unintended consequences with this exciting new opportunity.

• Oliver Harrison, Alpha Health, Telefonica
• Nicole Martinez, Stanford University
• John Torous, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Tanzeem Choudhury, Cornell University
• Moderated by Tom Insel, Mindstrong Health

12:30–1:30 PM

Lunch

• NIH Insight on Neuroethics Grants
• Affinity Group Restructure

RISING STAR PLENARY LECTURE (1:30–2:15 PM)

Emily Postan

University of Edinburgh

• Managing Neuroinformation, Protecting Identity – Emily Postan will be speaking about the role that information, generated by use of neurotechnologies in care and research settings, may play in the construction of our narrative self-conceptions. She will explore ways in which neuroinformation might do more than just offer new ways of describing ourselves, but also affect our abilities to make sense of who we are and navigate our lives. She will explore what this then implies for the roles and responsibilities of those who may be in a position to disclose information about brain structure and function with the subjects of that information.

PANEL (2:15–3:45 PM)

DBS: Continuity of Self?

There is disagreement about whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) causes personality changes, and if so whether such changes generate any cause for concern. To unpack this disagreement, we must clarify what we mean by ‘personality changes’, how they would be measured clinically, and which instances of personality change (if any) require attention. Questions regarding prevalence and severity of personality changes following DBS should be raised against this background. The answers may inform regulation of DBS interventions, or procedures safeguarding informed consent. This panel will facilitate discussion to clarify concepts and uncover where there is genuine disagreement regarding facts and values.

• Winston Chiong, University of California, San Francisco
• Jonathan Pugh, University of Oxford
• Cynthia Kubu, Cleveland Clinic
• Frederic Gilbert, University of Tasmania
• Moderated by Hannah Maslen, University of Oxford

BREAK (3:45–4:15 PM)

4:15–5:15 PM

Poster Presentations / Judging

Authors of even-numbered poster presentations will speak at assigned times.

Public Program (5:30–7:00 PM)

My Brain Made Me Buy It? The Neuroethics of Advertising

The consumer neuroscience industry is entering its second decade and continuing to grow thanks to increased acceptance by advertisers looking to better understand consumers' preferences and decision making. However, more questions and concerns are being raised as advertising techniques challenge social and ethical boundaries. Dr. Carl Marci, Chief Neuroscientist at Nielsen, will address the ethical concerns related to consumer neuroscience including issues around privacy, informed consent, and consumer autonomy in decision making. A discussion will follow.

• Carl Marci, Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience
• Read Montague, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (discussant)
• Uma R. Karmarkar, University of California, San Diego (discussant)
• Moderated by Steve Hyman, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute, and INS Past President

The public program is free and open to the public. A link to register will be available soon. This session was developed in partnership with The Center for Ethics in Science and Technology. 

7:00–8:00 PM

Reception

8:30 PM

Affinity Group Dinners

Friday, November 2

8:00–9:00 AM

Breakfast / Business Meeting

9:00–9:15 AM

Welcome

• INS President Hank Greely Presents the Steven E. Hyman Award for Distinguished Service to the Field of Neuroethics
• Recap of Thursday sessions by Steve Hyman and Ariel Cascio, Program Committee Co-Chairs

PANEL (9:15–10:45 AM)

Brain Surrogates: Perceptions and Reality

Various models are now being developed with human brain tissue that have the potential to provide a much more accurate representation of normal and abnormal brain function and development. These brain surrogates offer researchers a way to investigate how the living human brain works and provide much promise for alleviating the suffering of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Yet there are difficult questions that will be raised as models of the human brain get closer to replicating its functions. This panel will discuss the types of models being developed, the difficult questions raised as advances continue, and the ethical tools needed.

• Giorgia Quadrato, Harvard University
• Nenad Sestan, Yale University
• Laurie Zoloth, University of Chicago
• Khara Ramos, U.S. National Institutes of Health
• Moderated by Nita Farahany, Duke Law School

BREAK (10:45–11:00 AM)

11:00 AM–12:00 PM

Poster Presentations / Judging

Authors of odd-numbered poster presentations will speak at assigned times.

12:00–2:00 PM

Lunch

• Ambassador Opportunities
• Mentoring Sessions

PANEL (2:00–3:30 PM)

Genetics, Behavior, and Society

Genetic research has long raised social and ethical issues that have been discussed across the social and clinical sciences. These issues are currently highlighted in the study of “sociogenomics,” the genetic study of social behaviors and social categories such as educational attainment, measured IQ, reproductive behavior risk-taking. By linking brain and behavior to genetics, these studies raise important neuroethical questions about the relationship between genetics, behavior, and society. Panelists in this session will describe recent discoveries in sociogenomics, discuss the implications of such findings for policy and social action, and contextualize the field of sociogenomics within the broader history of genomics and society, including eugenics.

• Dalton Conley, Princeton University
• Kathryn Asbury, University of York (UK)
• Aaron Panofsky, University of California, Los Angeles
• Moderated by Ariel Cascio, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (Interview with Ariel Cascio)

3:30–4:30 PM

Oral Abstract Presentations

BREAK (4:30–5:00 PM)

FRED KAVLI DISTINGUISHED NEUROETHICS LECTURE (5:00–6:00 PM)

Keith Humphreys

Stanford University

• Values, science, and public policy towards the opioid epidemic – Addiction to and overdose from opioids is the worst epidemic the United States has faced for many decades. Science on the brain, on treatment options, and on public policies, can and should inform how policymakers respond to the epidemic. But ethical issues including how to balance the need for pain relief with the need to avoid addiction can't be empirically resolved but instead have to be struggled with as part of the political process. This presentation brings the empirical and ethical issues together to suggest policies that will turn back the opioid epidemic.

6:00–7:30 PM

Awards Presentation and Reception

• Hank Greely, INS President
• Essay Contest recognitions
• Abstract recognitions 
• Poster recognitions
• Drinks and light hors d'oeuvre to be served

Discounted registration rates available until September 20.

Registration